9.C.3. PRSR 09-12-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Park Department Formation Report to the Elk River City Council October 2001 Page 6 • development maintenance budget ($196,473) and Community Recreation programming budget ($64,181). Finding 3: Recommendations regarding maintenance of existing facilities,programming, planning, and expenditures for capital improvements are currently made by a combination of volunteers and multiple staff representing a variety of City Departments. All recommendations regarding allocation of city resources for parks and recreation purposes ultimately must be ratified by the City Council. Volunteers currently shaping recommendations include the members of the Park and Recreation Commission. The work of the Commission in turn is shaped by hundreds of volunteers that work in various capacities on park and recreation projects. City staff that currently shape recommendations include the Park and Street Superintendent, the Parks Foreman, the City Finance Director, the City Administrator, the Director of Planning, and the Manager of Community Recreation. Finding 4: The current decision making process regarding parks and recreation decisions works adequately in that decisions are eventually made, but the implementation of the decisions is sometimes slowed due to conflicting demands on staff time and related resources. Decisions are also slowed due to the lack of a full-time designated person /or city department that has appropriate training to assume responsibility for coordinating • timely responses to park and recreation priorities. Each of the staff listed above has multiple responsibilities and demands on their time,including some responsibility for parks and recreation. Currently all staff make a good faith effort to move park and recreation priorities forward, but any given effort may have to give way to other Departmental priorities. Given the projected growth in the park and recreation system,increased • use by residents of City services and facilities, and the increased demands on current staff, the Commission projects that this situation will not improve unless some key staff are added (see New Park Components and Organization). Most park and recreational initiatives by their very composition tend to be multi-jurisdictional in that final projects represent a blend of professional financial,planning, programming, construction, and ongoing maintenance staff expertise. Based on Commission review of other Park and Recreation Departments in Minnesota, eventually many municipalities make the decision to hire additional staff charged with the responsibility of implementing parks and recreation priorities. New Department Components and Organization To meet the anticipated planning, coordination, programming and maintenance needs,it is necessary that the city target additional staff resources to respond to the demands of a growing parks and recreation system. These additional resources could be created by a combination of new hires and internal transfer/reorganization of existing staff. The current staff has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the City's Park and Recreation System and it is hoped that they would be willing to iremain in a newly organized Park and Recreation Department.